Your baby has been born and your “6 week post partum period” has ended; yet you may still find yourself in pregnancy jeans with an extra pregnancy pouch. Many of us have this idea in our head that once the baby is out, our body just goes back to the way it was before. I hate to say it but I was astounded by how much my own body changed after having a kiddo. I have continuously told people to be gentle with themselves, after all it took 9 months to put it on why would we expect that at 6 weeks we would be back to normal. There does come a point where you are feeling rested enough and you are ready to get your body back, to strengthen the core and the muscles that have been stretched and weakened. When dealing with my own postpartum 6 years ago I was shocked to read all the different opinions on how to get your muscles back. I hope that this article will lay it out for you all simply.
What is a Diastasis?
A diastasis is very simply a separation of rectus abdominus muscles that occurs during pregnancy. The reason for the splitting can be due to weak muscles to begin pregnancy, and/or simply because they needed to separate to accommodate the growing baby. A diastasis is very common!!
Abdominal Muscles-The Layers
Transverse abdominal muscles are connected to your back muscles as well as your rectus abdominal muscles. The transverse abdominis is the deepest layer of the abdominal wall and the most important during the postpartum period. The muscle fibers run across the abdomen and draw the belly inward. These muscles are the bodies’ most important core stabilizer. Exercises like crunches/sit ups completely miss these muscles and may give an appearance of strength but in reality you are weak on the inside at the core and so these exercises are no longer recommended during the post partum period.
The rectus abdominus are your vertical abdominal muscles that go from your sternum to your pubic bone. This group is what is getting the work out during crunches/sit ups; this muscle group is nicknamed the “six pack”. The main job of the rectus abdominus is spine flexion.
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